stand to protect Creation.
History is filled with inspiring examples of nonviolent resistance, from Gandhi’s independence struggle in India, to
Martin Luther King’s struggle for civil
rights and Cesar Chavez’s struggle for
farmworker justice in the United States.
But something new is happening
here. The stakes—the fate of the Earth
and future generation—are higher and
the protagonists are new, with Indigenous communities and women playing a crucial role, and the spirituality of
nonviolence is deeper and more holistic
—rooted in the gift of Creation.
Pope Francis pointed to these
emerging “signs of the time” when
he adopted the name Francis, and
pointed to what would become his

e live in a world radiant
with beauty and one that is
also crying out for redemption. The entire Creation is filled with
the colors of the seasons of Creation,
at the same time it is groaning under
the impact of climate change: extreme
weather events, devastating floods and
severe droughts, rising sea levels and
melting glaciers, disappearing habitats
and disappearing species of life. But
this drama is not confined to the impact of climate change alone. Transnational mining companies, oil pipelines
and hydroelectric dams that provide
electricity for their mining ventures,
are ravishing the lands and polluting
the waters, and Indigenous communities across the Americas are making a

Church and Mining Network held in Bogota, Colombia in September 2016.

Berta Cáceres with Fr. Ismael Moreno, SJ

commitment to poor and Indigenous
peoples, to peace and nonviolence, and
to protecting all of Creation.
One of the more remarkable nonviolent struggles in recent years came to
light when a young Indigenous leader
and mother of four children was assassinated in La Esperanza, Honduras. On
the night of March 2, 2016, Honduran
environmental and Indigenous leader
Berta Cáceres was brutally murdered in
her home. As co-founder of the Civic
Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH),
Berta had led the Lenca people and
other Indigenous communities in a
non-violent struggle for the integrity of
their territories and their sovereignty.
For years, Berta and the Lenca communities courageously fought to block
the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project
which would create a series of dams,
flood large areas of land, and cut off
the supply of water, food and medicine
to the Lenca peoples. In addition, this
project violated the sovereignty and the
rights of Indigenous people to decide
whether such mega-projects would be
undertaken at all. Berta was persecuted
and received numerous death threats

for her work to defend the sacred rivers, forests and lands from further
desecration. Since the military coup in
Honduras in 2009, more than 150 land
and environmental activists have been
assassinated, and hundreds of mining
concessions have been offered to transnational mining companies, many of
them tied to hydroelectric dams to generate the electricity required by their
operations.

had on the Church and on the world,
but there are many more. Three years
ago, the Catholic Church in Latin
America formed the Church and Mining Network to defend the Indigenous
peoples and the natural resources of
the continent. In like manner, the PanAmazonic Church Network (REPAM)
was formed to defend the Amazon region and has since spread to the Congo
Basin in Africa and to Asia as well.

Let us wake up! Let us wake up, humanity! We’re out of time.
We must shake our conscience free of the rapacious capitalism,
racism, and patriarchy that will only assure our own selfdestruction.
What does this mean, then, for the
future of Berta’s people, and the future
of her land? Is nonviolent resistance
an effective means to create peace,
democracy and sustainability? Surely
the Lenca people have been faithful to
their Indigenous values and spirituality, rooted in a reverence for Creation.
Surely they have and continue to pay a
high cost. They have been faithful yet
people often ask, have they been effective? Does their nonviolent resistance
offer any hope? I would answer “Yes,”
and here are three reasons why.
First, because the stakes are so high,
and the fate of the Earth and of future
generations hang in the balance, the
witness of Berta Caceres and the nonviolent resistance of the Lenca community has had a profound impact
throughout the world. This is due, in
part, because Berta was so well known.
She was the recipient of the Goldman
Prize for environmental activists, and a
personal invitee of Pope Francis to the
World Meeting of Popular Movements
in Rome in 2015.
A case could be made that Berta
was a Laudato Si’ martyr in a long line
of martyrs defending the Earth. Pope
Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ is just
one sign of the impact that Indigenous
communities defending Creation has
2

NO. 113 / WINTER 2017

Second, nonviolent resistance is effective and hopeful because people are
listening to Indigenous peoples and to
women as the protectors of the land
and the water, and waking up to hear
“the cry of the Earth” and the “cry of
the poor.” Berta, the Lenca people and
countless Indigenous peoples around
the world are the first defenders and the
last protectors of Creation. If we don’t
listen to them, the future is dismal. But
people are listening, and beginning to
take seriously the fate of the planet and
the fate of present and future generations. Many have had, thanks to social
media, the good fortune to hear Berta’s
voice.
At the 2015 Goldman Prize awards
ceremony in San Francisco, Berta
spoke briefly and eloquently. For me,
her words evoked memories of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I’ve Been to
the Mountaintop” speech and Archbishop Oscar Romero’s “In the name of
God, stop the repression” homily, both
given on the eve of their assassinations
and martyrdoms. Like them, Berta
sealed her fate with words of hope and
defiance in her acceptance speech that
night:
“Let us wake up! Let us wake up,
humanity! We’re out of time. We must
shake our conscience free of the rapa-

cious capitalism, racism, and patriarchy that will only assure our own selfdestruction. The Gualcarque River has
called upon us, as have other gravely
threatened rivers. We must answer
their call. Our Mother Earth—militarized, fenced-in, poisoned, a place
where basic rights are systematically
violated—demands that we take action.
Let us build societies that are able to
coexist in a dignified way, in a way that
protects life.”
A new spirituality of nonviolence
is emerging, one that is deeply tied
to the fate of the Earth and the gift of
Creation, and that is a third reason why
the nonviolent resistance of Indigenous
communities like the Lenca people protecting Creation is effective and hopeful. We can see that closer to home,
in the gathering of Native Americans
at Standing Rock, North Dakota. We
know, if we do not listen and respond
with solidarity, the fate not only of Native Americans but of the lands and
waters of our native land are at stake.
Our spiritual traditions are deeply
enriched by the spirituality of Indigenous peoples rooted in the gift of
Creation. As Christians, we know that
the joy of Easter is the victory of Christ
over death, and that life, not death,
will have the last word. But even as we
anticipate and eventually celebrate the
joy of Easter, the passion of Earth and
the passion of the poor continue in the
drama of these nonviolent struggles of
Indigenous peoples for life and for all
of Creation. In this “in-between” time,
it truly is “a matter of the Spirit,” and
we pray to the Spirit that unites us all
and binds us to Creation: “Come Holy
Spirit, and renew the face of Earth.”
cc Scott Wright is the director of the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach (CCAO), the Justice, Peace and
Integrity of Creation office of the U.S.
region of the Missionary Society of St.
Columban. He was the co-coordinator
of the Ecumenical Program on Central
America and the Caribbean (EPICA)
and a friend of Berta Cáceres since
1999 when she served on the board.

Courage and Commitment to

End Gun Violence

by Judy Byron, OP

“Gun sales boom on Black Friday,” of the American public. Prominent gun have each purchased a minimum numread the CNN Money headline.1 On violence experts are calling for a public ber of shares in gun manufacturers,
this biggest day of the year for gun health approach “to advance a compre- Sturm Ruger and Smith & Wesson, and
sales, shoppers weren’t buying guns for hensive set of strategies that includes: gun retailer, Dick’s Sporting Goods. We
Christmas gifts, they were taking ad- much more data and
bought stock in these comvantage of big discounts for themselves. studies on gun
panies not for financial
From 2
010 to
This was happening in a country where violence as well as
returns but to chal2015, T
he
it is estimated that there are almost policy change, delenge the companies
more guns than people, over 50,000 in- sign modifications
to examine their role
cidents of gun violence were reported to guns and convenin
the epidemic of gun
introd
uced
in 2016 and on average 106 Americans ings of a wide range
violence in our country.
die by gun violence each day, includ- of collaborators… It
In addition investors aling suicides, homicides and accidental will take time, but
ready held stock in retailjust as with smokshootings.2
ers Kroger, Vista Outdoor
Do these high rates of gun violence ing, cultural norms
and Walmart.
have to be inevitable? A growing number around firearms
While most faith
3
t
o
of public health experts, people of faith, will change.”
based investors have
we
gun sa aken
Respecting the
gun owners, state and city governments
had a policy against
fety la
ws
and citizens say no, there are policy op- Second Amendowning gun stocks, we
tions if gun rights advocates and gun ment and the comhave not been silent on
control advocates can meet on this issue mon good, and hearthe issue of gun violence.
that is often polarizing. What could be ing Pope Francis’ call for encounter and In 2013 we supported Starbucks repossible if each group approached gun dialogue, investors made the decision quest that customers not bring firearms
violence in the spirit called for by Pope to address gun violence with manufac- into its stores. A year after Newtown
Francis: “[with] neither a
an ICCR colleague pressed
culture of confrontation nor
Amazon to review its sales
a culture of conflict…but
of firearms accessories that
rather a culture of encounter
could be used to convert
and a culture of dialogue;
semi-automatic rifles into
Estimated cost of gun violence per year
this is the only way to peace.”
weapons that fire too rapSource: mathewjones.com
Together we could strive to
idly to be legal. In 2016
understand the crisis we
this same colleague filed a
face, realize that we share
shareholder resolution with
the goal of saving lives and
Kroger requesting that the
Total NRA spending on politicians and lobbying since the 1990s
agree on solutions that adCompany ban the sale of
Source: opensecrets.org
dress gun violence.
automatic weapons and acIn the US the right to bear
cessories at all of its owned
arms for recreation, self-protection and turers and retailers. Over a dozen In- and operated stores. Approximately
work is a cherished part of our Ameri- terfaith Center on Corporate Respon- one-third of Kroger’s Fred Meyer stores
can heritage. However, because guns sibility (ICCR) members, including sell firearms, including semi-automatic
can be used to injure and kill they pose Northwest Coalition for Responsible rifles and handguns. Unfortunately the
a serious threat to the safety and health Investment (NWCRI) shareholders, Securities Exchange Commission al-

gun
lobby

2,532
BILLS
Source

: math

ewjones.

com

$229,000,000,000

$65,973,554

A MATTER OF SPIRIT

3

Firearm Involved
Deaths in 2016

While most faith based investors have had a policy
against owning gun stocks we have not been silent
on the issue of gun violence.

3,036

including payments
to trade associations
such as the NRA.
While the social
and economic facOTHER HOMICIDES
tors that contribute
to the rate of gun
violence in communities are many and
complex, there is a
MALE SUICIDES
growing body of research that correlates
certain strong gun
laws and lower rates
of gun violence.4
TEENAGE HOMICIDES
Investors will also
793
CHILDERN 0-11 HOMICIDES
ask
­manufacturers
328
WOMEN HOMICIDE BY INTIMATE PARTNER
and retailers to re870
port on the steps
258 OFFICER HOMICIDES
they have taken to
888 OFFICER INVOVLED SUSPECT HOMICIDES
428 MASS SHOOTING HOMICIDES
implement the elements of the SanStatistics as of December 5, 2016
Sources: gunviolencearchive.org & fivethirtyeight.com
dy Hook Principles.
The US Conference
of Mayors developed
lowed Kroger to omit the resolution these Principles in remembrance of the
from its proxy.
20 children and 6 adults who lost their
A critical issue that shareholders lives on December 14, 2012 at Sanwill challenge gun manufacturers and dy Hook Elementary School and all
retailers on in 2017 is their support of those who have died by gun violence.
the National Rifle Association (NRA), The Principles call on the gun industry
which since the 1990s has spent over “to be part of the solution to the public
$65 million on politicians and lobbying health challenges we face in cities and
to weaken gun safety laws. Top donors towns across the nation.”
to the NRA include Sturm Ruger and
Among the actions outlined in the
Smith & Wesson. A typical shareholder Sandy Hook Principles for companies
lobbying proposal asks the company who make and sell guns are to develop
to disclose all of its political spending, and implement policies that: keep guns
FEMALE
SUICIDES

10,211

18,964

Cry out as if you had a million voices,
it is silence that kills.
— Catherine of Siena

4

NO. 113 / WINTER 2017

out of the hands of children, people
with mental illness and criminals; support background checks on all gun and
ammunition sales; reevaluate policies
regarding the production or sale of
military style assault weapons; commit
to develop and implement technology
enhanced safety measures for guns and
ammunition; and promote gun safety
education at the point of sale.5
To the question we began with, “Do
these high rates of gun violence have to
be inevitable?” Garen J. Wintemute, a
renowned expert on the public health
crisis of gun violence poses a question to us. He says, “Look at it this way.
There are more than 400,000 people
buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Each of those people made a great sacrifice, whether they died in combat or
not. At current rates, we will fill another
Arlington-sized cemetery with civilians
who will die from firearm violence in
13 years. The question we need to answer is: “Do we have the courage and
commitment to mobilize and take action against firearm violence?”6
cc Judy Byron, OP is the Program Director of the Intercommunity Peace &
Justice Center and the Coordinator of
the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment.

Parsons, Chelsea, and Eugenio Weigand.
America Under Fire. Center for American
Progress.

5

Sandy Hook Principles. Washington, DC: The
United States Conference of Mayors.

6

Thacker, Paul D. “Gun Myths Die Hard.”
www.slate.com.

Movement from Just War to

Just Peace

by Marie Dennis

C

olombia claimed the attention
of people around the world as
it inched toward a peace agreement after 50 years of war. Even the
“no” vote in the October 2016 referendum failed to derail a process that was
grounded in the determination of a nation exhausted by war and nourished
by a long effort to move beyond violence and to build a just peace.
In April 2016, 85 people from
around the world gathered for a conference in Rome on nonviolence and just
peace, invited by the Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace, Pax Christi International and other Catholic organizations. Many of the participants came
from countries like Colombia that
have been at war or dealing with serious violence for decades: South Sudan,
the Philippines, the DR Congo, Iraq, Sri
Lanka, Palestine, Lebanon, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Uganda, Burundi, South
Africa, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Having described the difficulties,
even danger, of persistent, active nonviolence, Colombian Jesuit Francisco
DeRoux wrote about the deep desire for peace in the communities he
serves:
Two years ago we organized a meeting
with about thirty thousand people coming from conflict zones in the whole of the
country. Small farmers, campesinos, native
people, afrocolombians. They were the families whose youngsters had joined the guerrilla groups, the paramilitary groups and the
army. And all these people stood there asking and claiming: "Stop the war, stop the war
now, and stop the war from all sides!"

His
account
was one of many
powerful testimonies during the
Rome conference
that highlighted the
yearning for just peace,
especially in war zones, and
amazing persistence in the pursuit of
peace even in the most difficult circumstances.
The focus of those gathered in Rome
was on active nonviolence as a way of
life, a positive and powerful force for
social change, and a process for ending
violence without violence, transforming conflict and protecting the vulnerable. Participants shared stunning
examples of effective peacebuilding in
South Sudan, Northern Uganda, the
Philippines, Colombia and elsewhere.
Archbishop Jean Baptiste Odama
from Northern Uganda, for example,
spoke about ending 23 years of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and
the government of Uganda:
Human beings want to be listened to; they
want to be loved; they want to be trusted…
We started to promote that sense of trusting
the government, the rebels. And we became
like a bridge, linking them… The process of
our negotiations took about two years. And
in the end, the two sides disarmed themselves
in our region, particularly in the northern
part of Uganda. The rebels put down their
arms, the government put down their arms

and they decided to agree not to
continue the war in Uganda…

Participants in the Rome
conference reflected on
the centrality of nonviolence to Jesus’ life
and teaching, recalling in their
outcome document, “An Appeal to the Catholic Church to
Recommit
to
the Centrality
of Active Nonviolence,” that In

his own times, rife with
structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new,
nonviolent order rooted in the unconditional
love of God. Jesus called
his disciples to love their enemies…(Matthew 5:44); to offer no violent resistance to one who does evil
(Matthew 5:39); to become peacemakers;
to forgive and repent; and to be abundantly merciful (Matthew 5-7). Jesus embodied
nonviolence by actively resisting systemic dehumanization …

They agreed to try to move the conversation about war and peace in the
Catholic Church from just war to just
peace by developing a deeper understanding of and commitment to nonviolence.
While ethical criteria are necessary for addressing serious threats in a
violent world, they called the Church
to give less attention to the “just war
theory,” which is well ensconced in international law. They maintained that
the language and concept of a “just
war” has become a major obstacle to
developing nonviolent tools and capacity for preventing violence, protecting
vulnerable communities, transforming
structures of violence, and promoting
sustainable peace.
At the same time, “just peace,” as it is
being developed by scholars and practitioners of peace, is an excellent example
A MATTER OF SPIRIT

5

of a nonviolent moral framework that
can help us navigate challenging ethical questions in a violent world. A set of
practices for building peace at all stages
of acute conflict, just peace draws on
three key approaches—principles and

cal on nonviolence and just peace. They
asked the institutional Church to integrate Gospel nonviolence explicitly into
the life, including the sacramental life,
and work of the Church and to focus
not on the “just war theory” but on the
development of
nonviolent tools
Just peace is not only the absence of violence
that can help the
world move into
but the presence of social, economic, and
the future on a
political conditions …
different path.
Obviously, the
conference is not
moral criteria, practical norms, and the end but an important step in an onvirtue ethics. Just peace is not only the going conversation that will hopefully
absence of violence but the presence engage the whole Catholic community
of social, economic, and political con- through The Catholic Nonviolence Iniditions that sustain peace and human tiative, a project of Pax Christi Internaflourishing and prevent conflicts from tional, which emerged from the conferturning violent. Just peace can help ence.
In a very positive development, Pope
Christians move beyond war.
To more deeply explore what could Francis approved a proposal from the
be a major shift in Catholic theology on conference to write his World Peace Day
war and peace, conference participants 2017 message on the theme of
asked Pope Francis to write an encycli- Nonviolence: A Style

of Actions for Peace.
Take action: Endorse the Appeal
from the Rome conference at www.
nonviolencejustpeace.net. Promote attention to the World Day of Peace message on nonviolence, using resources
available on that site, including background documents and reflections prepared for the conference, resources on
nonviolence and just peace, webinars
on the conference and its outcome, frequently asked questions, prayers and
discussion questions.
cc Marie Dennis is Co-president of Pax
Christi International. She worked for
the Maryknoll Missioners from almost
25 years, ultimately as director of the
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns,
and was a prime organizer of the April
2016 Rome conference on Nonviolence
and Just Peace, which called on Pope
Francis to write an encyclical on nonviolence and on the Catholic Church
world wide to recommit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence.

Eye in the Sky Film Reflection
The film Eye in the Sky is a glimpse into the difficult
decisions that must be made when engaging in modern
warfare. We’ve all heard the various arguments for and
against using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more
commonly referred to as “drones,” for military combat.
One side of the argument is that they keep our servicemen and women safe from on-the-ground violence and
are invaluable for surveillance. Another is that there is
a huge disconnect between those that “pull the trigger”
and their “targets.” This film focuses on the moral implications of the collateral damage that often occurs while
carrying out drone strikes.
There is no one setting for this tumultuous film. Instead, it follows world leaders, military officials, and politicians from around the world as they decide whether
or not to “eliminate” an enemy target in Nairobi, Kenya
who is suspected of planning a massive attack that could
kill thousands. Things get complicated, however, when a
young girl begins selling her mother’s bread within the
parameters of the target. The moral question is hotly de-

6

NO. 113 / WINTER 2017

bated: is the collateral damage of
one or a few innocent human lives worth potentially
preventing a terrorist attack by killing suspected
terrorists?
As peacemakers, we know that every human life is sacred, and that the cycle of violence traps us in an endless
war. We encourage you to watch Eye in the Sky with your
family, friends, or faith community. Then discuss these
questions:
• What would I have done in that situation?
• Pick one of the characters. How did the outcome of
the situation affect them?
Contact IPJC to borrow a copy of Eye in the Sky.
For more information about the issue of drones, check
out the Friends Committee on National Legislation
(FCNL) backgrounder: https://www.fcnl.org/updates/
understanding-drones-43.

Jesuit Cultural Center in Egypt
by Sami Creta

A

Creating dialogue
through art
From the deep belief that art can be
a strong common base for humankind,
surpassing all ideological limits, the
JCC's programs open doors for people
from different backgrounds and beliefs.
Using visual arts, cinema, theater and
music to create new paths of coexistence in Egyptian society, we discover
the inner beauty in each of us during
this time when there exists a lack of
understanding and violence. Art and
beauty can take us from solid ideologies into common understanding based
on inner human identity.
The center went outside its walls to
extend some events to reach the international community. It organizes activities

LEXANDRIA—Five years have
passed since the Egyptian revolution, and many questions are
still without answers and many wounds
without healing. Beyond the political
and economic problems, hopelessness
characterizes the huge population of
young people in Egypt. However, many
young people have a different vision of
how to surpass this turbulent time with
a cultural artistic scene that plays an essential role as a refuge and a path for
those who are still searching for values
and meaning.
The Jesuit Cultural Center of Alexandria (JCC) is an independent non-profit institution founded by the Society of
Jesus (the Jesuits). Its main purpose is
human formation of those (especially
the youth) who are willing to contribute positively to the human development of society with all the challenges
of modern culture. The Center is offering a broad range of programs with
artistic, intellectual and cultural activities that concern the well-balanced de-

velopment of the whole human person.
This program expresses the respect and
belief in the common value of every
human person and promotes the values of beauty, citizenship responsibility,
equality and justice without any religious, social, political or gender segregation.

Youth from around the world gathered at the JCC event, “Culture and Art for Youth
Rights, Unity and Solidarity.”

and workshops that contain local and
international participants, playing a very
important role in the peace building
process. Meeting people from different
cultures and seeing examples of coexistence experienced in other geographical
places has opened the doors for hope.
Discovering that there are other
people that share the same values of
peace and beauty has given the youth of
Alexandria the strength and openness
to continue this journey. This is what
happened last year after the JCC hosted
60 young people from Europe and the
Middle East for a five day forum about
a culture of peace. A strong relationship was built between the youth from
around the world through artistic programs in interactive theater, music, visual arts and dance workshops. Living,
eating, thinking and playing together
created an environment of peaceful and
healthy dialogue between youth with
different points of view.
“People of today and tomorrow need
this enthusiasm [of wonder] if they are
to meet and master the crucial challenges which stand before us. Thanks to
this enthusiasm, humanity, every time
it loses its way, will be able to lift itself
up and set out again on the right path.
In this sense it has been said with profound insight that “beauty will save the
world” (John Paul II, from the letter to
artists, 1999).
cc Sami Creta graduated from the Faculty
of Fine Arts Sculpture Department in
2008. He then received a scholarship
to study Foundations and Perspectives
for a Culture of Unity at Sophia University in Italy. Upon his return, he joined
the Jesuit cultural center in Alexandria
as Program Officer.

A MATTER OF SPIRIT

7

A Culture of Violence
Affects Our Well-Being

We are sincere and dedicated to establishing a just peace in our world, but
we can become so driven that we fail
to ground our action in the spiritual
authority born from a contemplative
spirit. Authentic prophets speak with
a passion that holds their message like
a feather in their hand, knowing that it
really isn’t up to them.
Loss of silent spaces contributes to
violence. We clutter interior space with
a wall of words which ricochet off the
hearts of strangers and loved ones, allowing us to rest safely in our egos.
Imagine what this behavior looks like
in a negotiation process or a discernment process. Spirit cannot worm her
way into a welcoming interior space because there is no opening.

A Path to Peace
Live Consciously

A Culture of Violence:
Where We Are Now?
by Rita Kowats

W

e live under a cloud of negativity, in a violent culture
which does too much too
fast. We are losing our ability to live in
our own presence, the presence of others and the presence of the divine. We
must begin the journey back to peace:
live consciously, practice empathy and
be One.
“I see you,” “Namaste,” “Shalom,” are
familiar greetings. If we mean them we
are truly present but expectations in the
workplace have become inhuman and
we don’t know what it’s like to live a
balanced life anymore. We talk all day,
come home and talk some more. Because we don’t want to miss out on anything we also pack our social calendars.

8

NO. 113 / WINTER 2017

“I see you.” How can we truly see one
another when there is no interior space
with which to reflect? Violence in relationships ensues which causes violence
to one’s own psyche and body, which
translates to violence in our local and
global relationships.
I believe that the most significant
consequence of this behavior pattern
is a loss of self-reflection. Without the
will, skill and opportunity to look at

We transform a culture of violence
into a culture of peace when we make
a daily commitment to slow down and
pay attention to the promptings of the
Spirit that come to us in people and
events. Two spiritual practices engage
us in this process, self-reflection and
silent waiting. Without self-knowledge
we rain down violence on one another
and go blithely on our way. Spiritual
development is not a passive thing that

Spiritual development is not a passive thing that happens to us by
osmosis; rather, it is a balance of our own hard work and grace.
ourselves we can become a violent, egodriven society. Even people of faith,
dedicated to community and prayer
have fallen prey to a knee-jerk “Yes!” to
all requests for service instead of choosing a countercultural “No” to a society
sick with the violence of hyperactivity.

happens to us by osmosis; rather, it is
a balance of our own hard work and
grace. Without self-reflection there is
no self-knowledge. Self-reflection pulls
the ego out of the hurricane of violent
words and actions into Presence, where
the invitation to the other is welcoming.

Sharing with a spiritual director, counselor or prayer partner can spur spiritual growth through self-knowledge.
If we train ourselves to wait silently
for the spaces between words we find
God there. I talked my way through the
first half of my life, keeping myself safe
from life. The first step toward recovery
was an intentional practice of sitting at

Thich Nhat Hanh offers us a poignant
challenge in this excerpt from his poem,
“Call Me by My True Names.” Somewhere in it lies the key to empathy.

sees God is the same eye with which
God sees the pirate’s victim, why is it so
hard to believe that the space where the
pirate is seen by God is the same space
where I am seen by God? Passing judgment is a direct consequence of dualistic thinking and judgment often results
in violent behavior. The book Blindspot
explains that our brains have evolved to
pay special attention to others who are
like us. So, in prehistoric social practice
strangers were automatically perceived
as threats, and violence was an instinctual response. Modern humans, however, are psychologically and spiritually
equipped to move beyond suspicion to
trust but we have to stop “filling in what
we don’t know with what we think we
know.”2 For me this is the hardest spiritual work. I say this mantra as a spiritual
practice and it helps me to change focus:

…I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat, who throws herself into the ocean after being raped
by a sea pirate, and I am the pirate,

Breathing in I welcome the other.
Breathing out I release judgment.
Breathing in I am at one with the other.
Breathing out I release duality.

If we train ourselves to wait silently for the spaces between words
we find God there.
table saying nothing, learning how to
listen from an authentic place. It’s all
about listening as if we cannot hear
with our ears, so we must hear with
our souls. This contemplative listening touches the soul of the other with
our presence.1 We enter that place of
sacred presence in ourselves by recognizing the difference between our ego
needs and desires and the true self divested of ego. Abiding in that place,
even if for just a moment, we are free
to connect with the other and sparks of
spiritual energy ignite and transform.

Practice Empathy
Much of the literature on nonviolence is helpful in developing our capacity for empathy. Before we can take
the perspective of another we need to
dialogue, read, reflect and experience.

my heart not yet capable of seeing
and loving.
Our most grounded activists know
this truth. When they come out of the
trenches of seeing too much and despairing of ever doing enough we need
to enfold them with loving compassion.

Be One
How can we wrap our minds around
the concept of ONE? Meister Eckhart
is full of references to it: “The eye with
which I see God is the same eye with
which God sees me. My eye and God’s
eye are one. One seeing, one knowing,
one loving.” We might also say, “The
eye with which God sees me is the same
eye with which God sees my neighbor.
My eye and my neighbor’s eye are one.”
Think again about Thich Nhat Hanh’s
poem. If the eye with which the pirate

The presidential campaign held a
mirror before us and what we saw was
painful. It is time to heed hope’s call to
begin again. The prophet-poet Marge
Piercy summons us, “We must shine
with hope, stained glass windows that
shape light into icons, glow like lanterns borne before a procession. Who
can bear hope back into the world but
us?” Shine on.
cc Rita Hemmer Kowats is a spiritual
director living in a little anchorage in
the Seattle area. She can be contacted
at www.spiritualitywithoutborders.
wordpress.com. Paradoxically, it was
during her tenure with the Ground
Zero Center for Nonviolent Action that
she realized her call to live a contemplative lifestyle.
1

See the IPJC publication, Contemplative
Dialogue Circles, http://ipjc.org/publications/
index.htm for ideas on how to incorporate these
thoughts in a group.
For an eye-opening look at this human
tendency and its evolutionary roots, see Blind
Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin
R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

he results of the election have ten don’t know our neighbors and that an unjust economy go together. Unless
many community and faith leads to misunderstanding and mis- we address both issues simultaneously,
leaders around the country trust. The faith community has a role we will continue to have immense diswondering about how policies of a new to encounter one another, build new re- proportionality in terms of unjust poliPresidential Administration may affect lationships, and help articulate that the cies and practices toward communipeople who are marginalized as well as immigrant and Muslim communities ties of color, immigrants and refugees,
our Earth community. We convened are striving for a sustainable livelihood Muslims, Sikhs and other communities.
community leaders whose mission and just like all of us are.
ministry include justice on behalf of
JD: The strategic question is really imimmigrants, Muslims, people experi- Mary Pauline Diaz: The issues are in- portant, and goes back to the imporencing homelessness and Earth.
terdependent, which also means that tance of the issues being considered
Arsalan Bukhari and Aria Wilson: the work is interdependent. Socially we together. I want to credit the environCouncil on American-Islamic Rela- exist in silos, we don’t interact with our mental community with deciding that
tions (CAIR)
neighbors.
we need to work together across lines of
Mary Pauline Diaz: Cathrace and class. At Earth Minisolic Community Services
try we have been partnering
“We often don’t know our neighbors and that
of Western Washington
with native communities who
Jessie Dye: Earth Ministry
are often at the front lines.
leads to misunderstanding and mistrust.”
Michael Ramos: Church
Council of Greater Seattle
MR: At times, I believe that
Arsalan Bukhari: Public opinion has within the Christian community, we
AMOS: What are the challenges or bar- been influenced so much in the last need to do deeper reflection to underriers we might be facing as we work for 15 years, so it’s very hard to pass logi- stand our own complicity with some of
justice on behalf of immigrants, Mus- cal policies and also to make logical the injustices that are either being suglims, marginalized communities and cli- arguments. [Groups against Islam] are gested or acted upon. We need to reach
very well-funded and effective. Any re- out to our neighbors, to begin to talk
mate change?
sponse has to be at the same scale, but with each other and work together.
Jessie Dye: Looking at many of the also be a more efficient operation—that
President-Elect’s appointments from hasn’t been done yet. That’s why the AMOS: How do we take the leap from
an environmental perspective, the ma- anti-Muslim narrative is prevailing. “knowing our neighbor” to actually bejor appointees are from the major fossil 2015 had the highest anti-Muslim hate ing in relationship?
fuel industries. We don’t want to make crimes ever reported.
enemies and we want to be compasMD: I’m personally at a place where
sionate, but the people being appointed AMOS: What are the shifts in strategy I think it’s important to call our comare pro-pipeline, pro-fracking, pro- that we must attend to as we organize munity members out. A part of the
drilling in the arctic. This will make the within a context of a people and planet
administrative lay of the land extremely on the margins?
challenging.
MR: We need to have
Michael Ramos: The challenge that social analysis and
we face is the divisive rhetoric against theological reflection
Muslims and immigrants that is being on what’s going on
converted into actions that are harm- and we need to
ing people. This is a great concern from bring our faith to
the Christian perspective. We are called the public square.
to love our neighbors as ourselves. We The intersectionhave a societal challenge in that we of- ality of racism and

reason my [Catholic] faith
is so important to me is that
I interact with people with
different ideologies. Something I think a lot about is
how we can push our leaders to be bolder, say what
they’re thinking, to call out
the people who agree and
don’t agree with us. What
I’ve witnessed the last few
weeks is that people, especially young people, have a
lot of energy to show up, and
to do things. Our faith community is where we can find
the support that sustains us.
AB: What people can do in
their daily lives is be a public and vocal witness beyond
social media. You can take
those same [social media]
posts, copy and paste them
into an email, and send them
to your local paper, and that
reaches people beyond your
circle. In Muslim tradition,
Mohammad preached in the
market place. The best way to
reach people is in the public
square through letters to the
editor. That’s an access point
that any average American
has. Lawmakers look at public opinion.
Aria Wilson: This can also
challenge our nationalist
ideology, and [help to] alleviate fear.
JD: The plague of climate advocates is that we think that
we can say the facts and that
people will believe them.
Facts have not been particularly important on social
media because the “better
story” sells and gets more
clicks even if it’s not true. We
need to tell a more compelling, more heroic story!

AMOS: Why do people need
to be involved in immigrant,
Muslim and climate change
justice and what difference
will it make?
AB: It can enrich your life.
In concrete terms, as a business owner or manager, you
have much more productive employees if they are at
ease when they’re not worried about the safety of their
families. If you’re a teacher,
you’ll have much more attentive students.
MD: This is a critical moment. Even before the election, we were seeing lots of
movements springing up,
more conversations around
climate change, Standing
Rock, Black Lives Matter,
these things are all connected.
JD: Since the election, we’ve
had an enormous outpouring of support and people
calling to ask “what can we
do?” To me, it’s very powerful that the fear, despair, and
anger has manifested in “I
want to do something.” We
have a moment where we can
bring people to understand
that every act of citizenship,
every letter to the editor, call
to your Senator, every time
you sit down next to someone in a veil on a bus, every
next step we take makes us
more secure in our own faith
and our own values. It gives
us an inner efficacy, a sense
that we are answering the
call of our Creator and call of
our conscience. That’s a powerful motivator to take those
steps, to motivate those who
are less engaged to take a
next step.

Slacktivism:

Activism from your Couch
Chances are, you have heard the word “slactivism”
before today. If not, you might be surprised that it has
become so mainstream that it was added to the OxfordEnglish Dictionary in fall of 2016. The definition reads as
follows:
Slacktivism (
): [mass noun]: Actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social
cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website or application.
Most of us with social media accounts have done this:
signed a “Change.org” petition, “shared” or “retweeted”
a powerful image in support an organization’s cause,
filled out an action alert to our legislative officials, maybe you’ve even utilized Facebook’s new “Donate” button
on your favorite organization’s page.
Is this passive form of activism actually helpful? Does
it replace good ol’ fashioned in-person activism (such
as protests and vigils)? It depends on who you ask, but
both methods have been proven effective. Certainly,
sharing about an organization’s cause raises awareness
about the issue, and can even influence policy makers if
enough people share their concerns. However, there is
something to be said for physically showing up for the
cause you believe in, either through nonviolent direct action, benefit dinners, or advocacy days. There is no replacement for this kind of involvement.
So, maybe you’re a “slactivist,” who signs every petition, fills out every action alert, and shares every update
from your favorite organization, but don’t actually show
up in person to a nonviolent direct action. Or maybe you
do show up, but you’ve stayed silent on social media for
fear of conflict with your “friends” with opposing views
instead of using this platform to engage in dialogue.
If you’re doing one or the other, now is the perfect
time to step outside of your comfort zone. Let’s give
voice to peace and justice in this time of great division
by engaging in both “slacktivism” and physically showing up.

A MATTER OF SPIRIT

11

Nuclear Weap ns:
Taking Stock
by Jamie DeMarco

Our Accomplishments

O

n September 20th 1961 President Kennedy secretly called
together a handful of military
advisors to ask them the ultimate question: Should the United States launch a
surprise, all out, nuclear attack on the
Soviet Union? Multiple high ranking
officials, including General Thomas
Power, urged Kennedy to pull the trigger, and Kennedy was sincerely tempted
to follow their advice. However, thanks
largely to the advocacy of ordinary
citizens over generations, not only did
Kennedy decide not to pull that trigger;
no such trigger has ever been pulled.

12

NO. 113 / WINTER 2017

The nonviolent disarmament movement deserves credit for this and many
other incredible accomplishments.
Seven decades of nuclear abstinence
have been rusting the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nuclear
arsenal into oblivion. While thousands
remain, the world has eliminated 85%
of nuclear weapons, and the trend lines
will continue to point downward as the
United States and Russia disarm in accordance with the New START treaty.
Once, war with Iran over its nuclear
program seemed inevitable. Now, Iranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
plutonium reactors have been filled
with concrete, without a single shot
being fired. Iran is not alone in ceasing to pursue nuclear weapons. In past
decades far more countries have abandoned the quest for the bomb then acquired it. Brazil, Libya, South Africa,
Taiwan, and many others all once had
nuclear programs that have now been
terminated.

As the number of nuclear weapons
decline and the states seeking to acquire them become rarer, the world as
a whole has been leaving nuclear weapons behind. This progress has been
driven by the passion and persistence
of a people-powered movement.

The Current Landscape
Former defense secretary William
Perry asserts that the threat of a nuclear
weapon being detonated on U.S. soil is
higher today than it was at the height of
the Cold War. The danger is no longer
from intercontinental ballistic missiles
launched from Russia, but from ISIS
or a similar organization smuggling a
dirty bomb into the United States to be
detonated.
Rather than addressing the 21st
century nuclear threat by funding the
Energy Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programs to secure fissile material, congress plans to
pour approximately
one trillion dollars
into modernizing
and maintaining our
nuclear arsenal. This
will include more
than $300 billion for
entirely new, unnecessary weapons systems.
India and Pakistan each possess
nuclear stockpiles
that are approximately 2% the size
of the U.S. arsenal,
but both countries
are building more.
Deep-rooted
violence along their
border continues today, and this hot bed
is a likely location
for a nuclear war.

The most difficult challenge facing der a republican administration, and deterrent capabilities, and it may do far
nuclear security today is the nuclear Trump may be uniquely positioned to more to protect the world from nuclear
weapons program of North Korea, restore normative relations with Russia warfare. Asking your members of conwhich has multiple nuclear warheads in order to enact a new stockpile reduc- gress to fully fund international fissile
and is steadily developing the missile tion treaty.
security is one of the most effective
technology to reach the United States.
While Mr. Trump has pledged he steps you can take to ensure nuclear
Sanctions have not succeeded in de- would tear up the Iran deal on day one peace.
terring North Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Now is the time to
nuclear program and
fully engage our federal
As the number of nuclear weapons decline and the
the government has asgovernment. Contact you
serted it will not willmembers of congress.
states seeking to acquire them become rarer, the world
ingly disarm.
Urge them to support
as a whole has been leaving nuclear weapons behind.
nuclear weapon stockWhat to Do Now
pile reductions, defend
The Trump Administration poses of his presidency, the reality is more the Iran deal, seek nonviolent solutions
some grave dangers to the critically complicated. The agreement is between to North Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nuclear program, and
complex global environment of nuclear 8 different countries, and if the United fully fund fissile material security proweapons. Taking our nuclear weapons States backs out, the rest of the nations grams. Our movement must continue
off of hair trigger alert, enacting a No- could still abide by the contract.
the resolve and determination that has
First-Use policy for nuclear weapons,
As of the writing of this article, offi- won so many victories and will win
and canceling plans for a destabilizing cials chosen to serve in the Trump Ad- many more to come.
nuclear cruise missile are all actions ministration are drafting federal budthat would reduce the likelihood of nu- gets. Buried deep in thousands of pages cc Jamie DeMarco works at the Friends
Committee on National Legislation, a
clear war. While such policies are now of budgetary items is a line appropriatQuaker lobby in the public interest, on
far less likely to be enacted then they ing funds for international organizanuclear disarmament and Pentagon
were under the Obama Administration, tions that ensure the security of fissile
spending.
there are other potential opportunities material. Fully funding international
for President Trump.
fissile material security projects would
1
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. (2016, December).
Every significant reduction in the cost a fraction of the trillion dollars the
Retrieved from Nuclear Notebook: http://
thebulletin.org/nuclear-notebook-multimedia
nuclear stockpile has taken place un- United States plans to invest in nuclear

A MATTER OF SPIRIT

13

``Immigration

“Be assured of our solidarity and continued accompaniment as
you work for a better life.” —US Catholic Conference of Bishops
IPJC has created a wallet card for immigrants who may be
stopped, questioned or detained. Download it at
http://www.ipjc.org/programs/CTD%20Tarjeta.pdf

``Who

Who is

The Fac

My Nei

e Of Pov

erty In

is My
Neighbor?

ghbor?

Washin

gton Sta

te

The Face of Poverty
in Washington State

``Justice

Cafés

Upcoming Topics
January—Housing & Homelessness
February—Community Peacebuilding
To host a Café anywhere Contact
Elizabeth Murphy at emurphy@ipjc.org
After the “Building Interfaith Relationships” Justice Café Kabuza Peter,
Jinja, Uganda said, “It is a pleasure for us as young adults to deepen our
faith, because we realized that irrespective of…religions, we were all created in God's image.”

``Justice

Circles

A Pastoral Letter from the
Catholic Bishops of Washington State
IPJC encourages faith communities to gather to encounter people living in poverty and to explore ways to be in solidarity with
them as we act and advocate for change. The Letter, 3-session
study guide and video are available from the Washington State
Catholic Conference: thewscc.org • 206.301.0556

``Catholic Advocacy Day 2017

The Latino community gathered for a workshop and organizing, Hacia
una Vivienda Digna y Saludable, on Healthy and Dignified Housing.

This month I begin a new position in leadership for my religious community, the Sisters of the
Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. We are an international congregation with sisters and associates in Brazil, Canada, Lesotho, Peru, South Africa and the United States and our administrative office is in Montreal.
My religious community has given me the privilege of ministering at the Intercommunity
Peace and Justice Center for 25 years. We began with a yellow pad and a vision for a future full
of hope as we partnered with you to create a just and peaceful world and church and a heathy
Earth community. Today, it is with great gratitude that I thank you for making it possible for
IPJC to provide programming in 20 countries, empowering those on the margins to change
systems and gathering in churches, community spaces, and corporate board rooms to build
Linda with Louise Dumont, CSJP
community and create change for the common good!
It is the partnership of our religious communities with you that has made our “Dream it and we can do it” philosophy poised and positioned to undertake the next great movements of possibility in our world, church and local communities.
Now more than ever we need to strengthen our efforts, our community building and our commitment to mentor youth, empower those
on the periphery, engage in contemplative dialogue in an era of division, care for our Earth and speak truth to power in love to transform
our world and church.
Today, I ask you to support and participate in IPJC in new and imaginative ways because this is our moment in history when God trusts
us to do what must be done for the sake of the whole community!
The community and relationships that I have experienced over these 25 years are ones that I cherish and hold as sacred. As I leave my role
at IPJC, I will carry them in my heart and they will be a catalyst for transformation in my new ministry.
Thank you for all you are, have been and will continue to be for me and us at IPJC!
­—Linda Haydock, SNJM

`` Linda Haydock, SNJM

Receives the 2017
Archbishop Raymond
G. Hunthausen Award
Presented by Catholic Community
Services of Western Washington

To one who has sought justice,
Loved kindly, and
Humbly changed our world.

When asked what he thought of Linda as the
recipient, Archbishop Hunthausen said, "I can't
think of anyone more deserving."

``IPJC

Welcomes Patty Bowman!

The Governing Council is pleased
to announce that Patty Bowman is
our new Executive Director.
Patty, who has a law degree from
Harvard and M.A. degrees in Theology and Pastoral Studies, has
served as Adjunct Faculty at Seattle University and was the Director of Outreach and Advocacy for
St. James Cathedral. In her ministry she has often collaborated with
IPJC and she knows and supports
our mission. We look forward to
Patty’s leadership of IPJC.

Thank you to all who have contributed to our annual appeal.
• Remember to let us know if your company matches donations
• Consider designating IPJC in your United Way pledge
• We accept gifts of stock
A MATTER OF SPIRIT

Invitation to be Peacemakers
Invite people to gather for a reflection and
discussion on creating a culture of peace.
Ask them to read this issue of A Matter of
Spirit and reflect on the following questions in preparation for the gathering.

We live in a violent culture… We are
“losing
our ability to live in our own pres-

ence, the presence of others and the presence of the divine. What practice would
help me “begin the journey back to peace:
live consciously, practice empathy and be
One?”

“

The stakes—the fate of the Earth and
future generations—are higher; the protagonists are new—with Indigenous communities and women playing a crucial
role; and the spirituality of nonviolence is
deeper and more holistic—rooted in the
gift of Creation.” What can we learn from
Indigenous and women-led movements
about the “spirituality of nonviolence?”
What could be possible if each group
“approached
gun violence…[with]neither
a culture of confrontation nor a culture of
conflict…but rather a culture of encounter
and a culture of dialogue?”

Gathering
Gather in a circle with a ritual table and
enough small candles for each person
present. Consider beginning with a peace
song.
Reading
“In his own times, rife with structural violence, Jesus proclaimed a new nonviolent

order rooted in the unconditional love of
God. Jesus called his disciples to love their
enemies (Mt. 5:44), which includes respecting the image of God in all persons…
to offer no violent resistance…(Mt. 5:39);
to become peacemakers…to be abundantly merciful (Mt. 5:7). ”
Dialogue
Leader: In the spirit of Rumi who says,
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and
rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you
there,” let’s begin sharing our reflections
on our questions.
Leader: Let’s quietly hold and appreciate
what we have heard.
Closing Prayer

Leader: As we bring our time to a close
let’s take a moment of quiet to consider one
way you will promote a culture of peace in
your home, workplace or community. After the quiet when you share please light
one of the candles.
Leader: As we respond to our God’s
call to be peacemakers we pray
All: And now let us
believe in the new year
that is given to us
new
untouched
full of things
that have never been.
—Rainer Maria Rilke